Real-Time Insurance Estimate Based on Non-Personal Identifying Information

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for providing estimated insurance quotes/premiums are described herein. After analyzing rate factors, a subset of rate factors are selected that yield a fairly accurate estimated insurance premium from a minimum amount of information easily obtainable from a user. The user inputs a value from a predetermined set of allowable inputs (value input filter). After receiving and analyzing the user inputs, the system generates one or more estimates and displays the one or more estimates to the user, e.g., via a web page. When multiple estimates are provided, the multiple estimates may differ based on the level of coverage, add-on features, or both. Readily known non-personal identifying information is preferably requested and used, thereby alleviating privacy concerns while still being able to provide an estimate to the user very quickly, e.g., under 30 seconds, once all the requested information is obtained.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/619,205,filed Sep. 14, 2012, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.13/554,702, filed Jul. 20, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat.No. 8,249,968, issued Aug. 21, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S.Pat. No. 8,065,169, issued Nov. 22, 2011, each having the title“Real-Time Insurance Estimate Based on Non-Personal identifyingInformation.”

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to insurance. More specifically, theinvention provides methods and systems for providing in real-time anestimated insurance premium to a user based on a minimum amount ofnon-personal identifying information. The invention may be used, forexample, to provide estimates of premiums for auto insurance, motorcycleinsurance, homeowner's insurance, condo insurance, and renter'sinsurance, among others. The invention is preferably accessed by a userover a computer network such as the Internet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consumers often indicate that obtaining an insurance product can be atime consuming and tedious process, requiring the consumer to providedetailed information that often is not readily remembered by oravailable to the consumer. The consumer must research informationrequested by an insurance agent in order to obtain a reliable indicationof how much the consumer's insurance premium might be. As a result,consumers can be hesitant to research insurance rates because of thetime believed to be involved with obtaining an insurance quote.

A previous approach involved obtaining in-depth information about theconsumer in order to develop a price estimate. Because insurance, e.g.,auto insurance, is tailored to the individual applying for insuranceand/or the property being insured, the individual would provide his orher driver's license number, home address, VIN number for the vehicle(s)and other specific personal information. Based on this specific personalinformation, the agent or insurance company would use sophisticatedquoting tools and charts to develop a quote. The extent of this personalinformation creates a barrier to marketing and lead generation becauseit is time-consuming for the customer to provide. Additionally, asconsumers' sensitivity to providing personal information has increased,consumers increasingly do not want to provide such extensive informationin order to shop for insurance.

As an alternative to providing detailed information to obtain a quote,consumers often request a less precise estimate of what his or herinsurance premium might be. However, given the large number of factorsthat must be taken into account in determining an insurance quote,providing even an estimate can be a difficult task. The basic tension inproviding a meaningful estimated insurance quote to a member of thepublic, who is not an existing customer of an insurance company, isaccuracy versus speed. Both elements of this equation are largelydependent upon the amount of information provided—the information whichforms the basis for an estimated quote. If the person submits a greatdeal of information to the process then the estimate will likely be muchmore accurate, but the process will also be very time consuming andcumbersome to the person. At the other end of the spectrum, if theperson submits very little information to the quoting process then theprocess is much more “user friendly” and quicker; however, the estimatemay not be very accurate.

Inaccurate estimates result in lower chances of closing on a new policywith the consumer as well as decreased customer satisfaction. When theconsumer subsequently provides more detailed information and the policyfor that individual is developed, the price might not meet theexpectations of the consumer because his or her expectations werepremised on the estimate that turned out to be inaccurate.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order toprovide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merelypresents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description provided below.

To overcome limitations in the prior art described above, and toovercome other limitations that will be apparent upon reading andunderstanding the present specification, aspects of the presentinvention are directed to methods and systems that quickly develop aninsurance estimate based on a minimum of readily known informationobtained from an individual consumer. The individual consumer canself-declare and input the information according to predetermined valuefilters. Through a range of choices provided to the individual consumer,the consumer can select from a number of coverage options that mostaccurately reflect his or her needs. According to an aspect of theinvention, the individual consumer does not need to identify herself orprovide information which could be used to identify her, therebyavoiding privacy concerns on the part of the consumer. That is, onlyreadily known information is requested so the user does not have totrack down or research the information, and only non-personalidentifying information is requested, thereby alleviating privacyconcerns while still providing an estimate to the user quickly, e.g.,under 30 seconds.

A first aspect of the invention describes a method for providing aninsurance estimate by analyzing a rate model to determine, for each of aplurality of rate factors, an insurance risk associated with multipledifferent values of the rate factor. The method determines one or moreassumptions based on historical rate plan data, where each assumption istrue for at least a predetermined percentage of historical insuredindividuals in the historical rate plan data, and selects a subset ofthe plurality of rate factors that, combined with the one or moreassumptions, yields a substantially accurate insurance estimate when avalue input filter corresponding to the rate factor is applied to thehistorical rate plan data and is re-input into the rate model. Uponreceiving user input for each of the subset of the plurality of ratefactors using each corresponding value input filter, the methoddetermines an estimated insurance premium using the rate model based onthe received user input.

According to other aspects of the invention, the method may determineone of the value rate filters by grouping values of the correspondingrate factor that yield minimal risk differentiation. Each rate factor inthe subset of the plurality of rate factors preferably corresponds tonon-personal identifying data.

According to an aspect of the invention, an automobile insuranceestimate is provided and the subset of the plurality of rate factorsconsists of: zip code, gender, marital status, driving history, vehicleyear, vehicle make, vehicle model, ownership status of real estate,credit worthiness, and length of time with current automobile insurer.

These and other aspects of the invention are described in more detailbelow to provide methods and systems for providing estimated insurancequotes and/or premiums.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention and theadvantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the followingdescription in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which likereference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system and network architecture that may be usedaccording to one or more illustrative aspects of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method of providing an insurance estimate accordingto an illustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates a screen shot of a user interface according to anillustrative aspect of the invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates a method of providing an insurance estimateaccording to an illustrative aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which theinvention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Aspects of the invention provide an insurance estimating tool thatcalculates an estimated insurance quote for a consumer without requiringthe consumer to disclose personally identifying information. Theconsumer does not have to disclose name, social security number (SSN),address, vehicle VIN number, or other information unique to that personor specific property being insured. Instead the consumer is allowed toself-declare general characteristics about him or herself or theproperty. The specifically requested characteristics are preferablyhighly-predictive of the consumer's potential insurance quote and allowfor the development of a range of estimates from which the consumer canselect one that best applies to him or her.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a network architecture and dataprocessing device that may be used to implement one or more illustrativeaspects of the invention. Various components 103, 105, 107, and 109 maybe interconnected via a network 101, such as the Internet. Othernetworks may also or alternatively be used, including private intranets,local LANs, wireless WANs, personal PANs, and the like. The componentsmay include an insurance rate server 103, web server 105, and clientcomputers 107, 109. Rate server 103 provides overall control andadministration of providing insurance quotes and estimates to usersaccording to aspects described herein. Rate server 103 may be connectedto web server 105 through which users interact with and obtain insurancerates. Alternatively, rate server 103 may act as a web server itself andbe directly connected to the Internet. Rate server 103 may be connectedto web server 105 through the network 101 (e.g., the Internet), or viasome other network (not shown). Users may interact with the rate server103 using remote computers 107, 109, e.g., using a web browser toconnect to the rate server 103 via one or more externally exposed websites hosted by web server 105. Servers and applications may be combinedon the same physical machines, and retain separate virtual or logicaladdresses, or may reside on separate physical machines. FIG. 1illustrates but one example of a network architecture that may be used,and those of skill in the art will appreciate that the specific networkarchitecture and date processing device used may vary, and are secondaryto the functionality that they provide, as further described below.

Each component 103, 105, 107, 109 may be any type of known computer,server, or data. processing device. Rate server 103, e.g., may include aprocessor 111 controlling overall operation of the rate server 103. Rateserver 103 may further include RAM 113, ROM 115, network interface 117,input/output interfaces 119 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, display, printer,etc.), and memory 121. Memory 121 may further store operating systemsoftware 123 for controlling overall operation of the data processingdevice 103, control logic 125 for instructing rate server 103 to performaspects of the invention as described herein, and other applicationsoftware 127 providing secondary support or other functionality whichmay or may not be used in conjunction with aspects of the presentinvention. The control logic may be referred to herein as the rateserver software 125. Functionality of the rate server software may referto operations or decisions made automatically based on rules coded intothe control logic, or made manually by a user providing input into thesystem

Memory 121 may also store data used in performance of one or moreaspects of the invention, including a rate model database 129 and ahistorical database 131. Rate model database 129 may define rules,restrictions, qualifications, and conditions which, when met, result inproviding a customer an insurance product at a given rate, i.e., whenthe customer pays an insurance premium as determined by a rate model orrate models encoded within the rate model database 129. For example, onerule might indicate that a married male driver has reduced insurance ascompared to a single male driver, or that a driver under the age of 25must pay a higher rate than a driver who is 25 years old or older.Historical database 131 stores information about what actual customershave paid for insurance in the past, as well as the information on whichthose insurance prices were based, e.g., age, insured products, types ofinsurance, length of term with insurance company, etc. In someembodiments, the rate model database may include the historicaldatabase. That is, the information can be stored in a single database,or separated into different logical, virtual, or physical databases,depending on system design.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the functionality of dataprocessing device 103 as described herein may be spread across multipledata processing devices, for example, to distribute processing loadacross multiple computers, to segregate transactions based on geographiclocation, insurer, insured, type of insurance, etc. In addition, one ormore aspects of the invention may be embodied in computer-usable dataand computer-executable instructions, such as in one or more programmodules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data.structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data. types when executed by a processor in a computer or otherdevice. The computer executable instructions may be stored on a computerreadable medium such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storagemedia, solid state memory, RAM, etc. As will be appreciated by one ofskill in the art, the functionality of the program modules may becombined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. In addition,the functionality may be embodied in whole or in part in firmware orhardware equivalents such as integrated circuits, field programmablegate arrays (FPGA), and the like. Particular data structures may be usedto more effectively implement one or more aspects of the invention, andsuch data structures are contemplated within the scope of computerexecutable instructions and computer-usable data described herein.

As previously discussed, aspects of the invention provide a tool thatcalculates, determines, or develops an insurance estimate for a consumerwithout requiring the consumer to disclose personally identifyinginformation. Unlike previous approaches used to estimate insurancepremium, aspects of the present invention provide an insurance estimatebased on a few pieces of information readily available to the consumerwithout requiring the consumer to perform exhaustive research to obtainthe requested information. The user can preferably enter the informationthrough an intuitive and user-friendly web-based application.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method for providing an insurance estimateaccording to one or more aspects of the invention. Initially, in step201, an insurance provider analyzes the rate model in conjunction withthe historical rate data to determine, for each of a plurality of ratefactors, an insurance risk associated with multiple different values ofthe rate factor. A rate factor, as used herein, refers to any variableor information associated with a consumer that can affect the price theconsumer might pay for an insurance product. Rate factors may include,e.g., age, gender, geographic location, marital status, car make, carmodel, car year, YIN number, accident history, credit history and/orrating, occupation, educational history, educational performance, andcriminal record, among other things. This is not an exhaustive list ofrate factors, but rather is illustrative of the type of information thatan insurance company might request prior to providing an insurancecontract to a customer. During step 201, each possible rate factor isanalyzed to determine whether it provides meaningful riskdifferentiation based on various input values and, if so, it isdetermined what input values should be grouped together to simplify theinput process while providing meaningful information from which aninsurance estimate could be based.

As an example, a consumer's age may provide a good indication of therisk associated with that consumer. I.e., an 18 year old drivertypically has a much higher risk of getting into an automobile accidentthan a 40 year old driver. However, an 18 year old driver might have arisk very similar to that of a 19 year old driver (all other thingsbeing equal), and thus the system might not care whether a consumer is18 or 19 years old for purposes of providing an estimate. As a result,those performing the analysis may determine that a consumer's age shouldbe included in the estimation process, but that a specific age is notrequired. Instead, the user might only be required to indicate an agerange he or she is in. Alternatively, a user may be required to indicatean exact age.

As another example, a consumer's driving history may be relevant, butthere might be little differentiation in risk among all users who havehad 2 or more accidents or moving violations in the past five (or someother number) of years. Thus, while driving history may also berequired, the consumer might only be required to provide an indicationof whether the consumer has had 0, 1, or greater than 1 accidents ormoving violations in the past five years. For example, two or moreaccidents and violations within the last five years for a single driverall get approximately the same rate, because having 3 or 4 accidentsdoes not have a significant impact on the quote as compared to 2accidents because few drivers have more than 2 incidents. The threepossible values of 0, 1, and 2+ are defined by and referred to as avalue input filter corresponding to the driving history rate factor.Value input filters also act to ensure that valid and/or understandableinput is received from a user (e.g., the response “I don't recall any”would not be particularly helpful to an automated insurance estimationtool).

In step 203, it is determined which rate factors provide the bestindication of resulting insurance rates, as well as levels of those ratefactors that provide meaningful variations in risk. That is, theanalysis in step 203 may include a two-part process: first, determinewhich rate factors act as the best indicators of risk, and second,determine cutoff values or ranges within that rate factor that providemore meaningful differentiation between levels of risk. There aredifferent combinations of rate factors that might result in fairlyaccurate insurance estimates. However, in order to encourage users tocomplete the insurance estimation process, the insurer preferablyselects only rate factors that do not yield personal identifyinginformation, e.g., name, street address, telephone number, driver'slicense number and/or social security number are not used. The possiblerate factors may be ranked and selected so that a minimum number of ratefactors may be used to provide the best indication of potential riskregarding a consumer. Factors may also be selected on the basis ofwhether the consumer is likely to object to providing the information inan informal estimation process, and also based on whether the consumeris likely to have the information readily available (as opposed torequiring further or subsequent research of information not immediatelyavailable to the consumer). Other bases may also be used to select ratefactors for use in the estimation process.

According to an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the followingrate factors and value input filters, based on information obtained fromprospective driver(s), may be used in determining an automobileinsurance estimate:

TABLE 1 Auto Insurance Rate Factors and Value Input Filters Rate FactorValue Input Filter Zip Code Compare against known list of valid zipcodes Gender Male, Female Marital Status Single, Married Age Yearlyincrements from 16-55, or 55+ Accidents/Violations in past 5 years 0, 1,2+ Car Year Valid Year, e.g., 1970-Present year Car Make Manufacturerknown to have made at least 1 car during selected Car Year Car ModelModel of car known to have been made by manufacturer selected as CarMake Residence Own, Rent, Neither General Bill Payment HistoryExcellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor Length of continuous autoinsurance 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3+, 5+, 10+ years

Next, in step 205, based on the selected rate factors and value inputfilters, assumptions are determined that are likely to yield realisticestimates based on the value input filters for the selected ratefactors. By using key assumptions derived from the analyzed historicaldata, the quoting process is quicker and more efficient than previoussolutions. The historical data is analyzed to determine the informationcorresponding to the previous consumers that yields accurate resultswhen the previous consumers' information is used as input back into theestimation process. That is, the historical data is analyzed todetermine what assumptions need to be made, after using the historicaldata as input into the estimation process, to yield realistic estimateswhen the historical data is plugged back into the rate model 129.Assumptions can include selections made by a majority of previousconsumers regarding insurance options, or may include information knownor associated with a majority of previous insurance purchasers. Forexample, the historical data may be analyzed to determine what level ofinsurance previous consumers selected, e.g., $100K per person/$300K peraccident, $500 deductible, medical payment options, etc. The historicaldata may also be analyzed to determine what information is common tomost consumers seeking automobile insurance, e.g., that all drivers werelicensed at age 16 and have verifiable driving records, and/or that nodriver in the household has had their license suspended or revoked inthe past 5 years.

As an example, the historical data may include actual rates paid byprevious consumers, as well as those consumers' ages, driving histories,car information, etc. Information for one or more of the previousconsumers is used as input into the estimation model, e.g., the ratemodel 129. The results are compared with the actual rates the consumerpaid, which can then be used to determine which assumptions need to bemade so that the actual rate and the estimated rate are within apredetermined amount of each other. The predetermined amount can be anypercentage or dollar amount based on the desired accuracy of the system.

As another example, assumptions may be generated from informationcorresponding to the previous consumers not related to the selected ratefactors, e.g., selected insurance levels, miles driven to work, etc. Insuch an embodiment, the previous consumers need not necessarily be usedas input back into the rate model to determine assumptions, but ratherthe assumptions may be generated based on information common to manyprevious customers. That is, historical data trends may be used togenerate assumptions for future estimates.

According to an illustrative embodiment, the following assumptions maybe used during the estimation process:

Driver Assumptions: 1. All drivers were licensed at age 16 and haveverifiable driving records. 2. No driver in the household has had theirlicense suspended or revoked in the past 5 years (MD and WA: past 3years). 3. All drivers reside at the primary residence and all vehiclesare garaged and/or parked at that residence. The primary residence isassumed to be within the ZIP code entered. 4. For accidents andviolations entered by the consumer, the insurer has assumed that allaccidents are “at-fault” accidents, and that all violations are minor.The insurer may also assume that all accidents and violations occurredbetween 2 and 5 years ago, i.e., that none of them were in the past twoyears.

Vehicle Assumptions: 1. All vehicles identified in the estimate are eachdriven at least 7,500 miles annually. (CA and CO, and/or other states asappropriate: 12,000 miles annually), and were purchased in the same yearas the model year. 2. All vehicles identified in the estimate are drivento and from work (less than or equal to 20 miles each way). If theconsumer is 55 or older and retired, it's assumed the vehicle driven isdriven solely for pleasure. 3. Unless otherwise noted, coverages anddeductibles selected will apply to each vehicle. 4. The estimate isbased on the year, make, and model of the vehicle and does not considerthe specific sub-model details.

Personal Assumptions: 1. If the consumer indicates that he or she ownshis or her primary residence, it's assumed to be a single family home orcondominium. 2. The insurance score assumed for this estimate is basedon the consumer's self-assessment of General Bill Payment History. 3.Continuous insurance coverage is assumed to have been with the sameinsurance carrier and not with multiple insurance carriers. Carrier isassumed to be a “standard” insurance company. 4. If the consumerindicates that s/he currently carries auto insurance, it is assumed thelimits of the Bodily Injury Liability coverage are equivalent to themost popular limits among customers in the consumer's state ($100,000per person/$300,000 per accident in most states).

Steps 201-205 may be performed in any order, or may be combined or splitinto further levels of granularity. For example, assumptions may bedetermined prior to selecting the rate factors to use in the estimationprocess, or the assumptions and selection may be performed at the sametime.

In step 207 a user, e.g., a prospective insurance purchaser, providesinput to rate server software 125 (e.g., via web server 105) for each ofthe selected rate factors. The input is provided according to the valueinput filter corresponding to each selected rate factor. Then, in step209, the rate server 103 determines an estimated amount of an insurancepremium for the consumer based on information stored in the rate model129. Step 209 may include determining one estimate or a range ofinsurance estimates based on a variety of options the user may select aspart of the insurance product. For example, estimates may be providedfor varying levels of protection ($100K, $250K, $500K, etc.), varyingdeductibles, with and without collision insurance, and/or any otheroptions the user may be able to select.

In step 211 the estimate or estimates are presented to the user. Whenmultiple estimates are presented to the user, the estimates arepreferably presented in a dynamic format or media so the user canexplore the assumptions and/or options associated with each estimate.According to an illustrative embodiment, the range of estimates may bepresented in a grid where each successive row provides an estimateassociated with an increasing level of insurance coverage (e.g.,$25K/$50K, $100K/$300K, and $250K/$500K), and each column provides anestimate associated with an increasing number of add-on optionsassociated with the insurance coverage (e.g., accident forgiveness,Deductible Rewards^(SM), Safe Driving Bonus^(SM), etc.).

According to an illustrative embodiment, automobile insurance estimatesmay be provided in a grid reflecting the following insurance levels(Collision Deductible, Comprehensive Deductible, Bodily Injury limits,Property Damage limit, Medical Payment limit, Uninsured Motorist limits)and add-on options.

TABLE 2 Sample Grid of Insurance Levels and Add-Ons Coll. Deduct.: $500$500 $500 $500 Compr. Deduct.: $500 $500 $500 $500 Bodily Injury:$25K/$50K $25K/$50K $25K/$50K $25K/$50K Prop. Damage: $20K $20K $20K$20K Medical: None None None None Uninsured Motor.: $25K/$50K $25K $50K$25K/$50K $25K/$50K Bonus Features Direct Deposit Accident AccidentAccident Payments Forgiveness Forgiveness Forgiveness Deductible SafeDriving Rewards^(SM) Bonus^(SM) Deductible Rewards^(SM) Coll. Deduct.:$500 $500 $500 $500 Compr. Deduct.: $500 $500 $500 $500 Bodily Injury:$100K/$300K $100K/$300K $100K/$300K $100K/$300K Prop. Damage: $100,000$100,000 $100,000 $100,000 Medical: $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000Uninsured Motor.: $100K/$300K $100K/$300K $100K/$300K $100K/$300K BonusFeatures Direct Deposit Accident Accident Accident Payments ForgivenessForgiveness Forgiveness Deductible Safe Driving Rewards^(SM) Bonus^(SM)Deductible Rewards^(SM) Coll. Deduct.: $500 $500 $500 $500 Compr.Deduct.: $500 $500 $500 $500 Bodily Injury: $250K/$500K $250K/$500K$250K/$500K $250K/$500K Prop. Damage: $200,000 $200,000 $200,000$200,000 Medical: $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 Uninsured Motor.:$250K/$500K $250K/$500K $250K/$500K $250K/$500K Bonus Features DirectDeposit Accident Accident Accident Payments Forgiveness ForgivenessForgiveness Deductible Safe Driving Rewards^(SM) Bonus^(SM) DeductibleRewards^(SM)

Using the above method, users can self declare non-personallyidentifying information to obtain an estimated amount for an insurancepremium, thereby allowing the consumer to remain anonymous. The consumercan then select from a range of insurance packages at varying pricepoints that reflect a broad range of insurance services offered, and theconsumer can select the choice that most closely reflects his or hercurrent needs.

Beginning with FIG. 3, a sample user interface available to consumersover the Internet will now be described. The user interface comprisesmany different screens as shown below, and may be exposed to the uservia web server 105, with resultant estimates computed by rate server103. Other system architectures may of course be used.

In FIG. 3, web server 105 displays a first screen 301 providing ageneral introduction to the consumer, and requesting initial basicinformation 303, 305, 307. The user inputs his or her zip code 303, thetype of insurance 305 for which the user desires to obtain an estimate,and whether the user wants to start a new quote or continue a savedquote in option box 307. Upon entering the information, the web servermay display optional screen 401 (FIG. 4) to provide additionalinformation to the user while loading subsequent information, e.g.,java, flash, or other applet code or software to the user's clientcomputer 107 or 109 at the direction of web server 105.

When the user is ready to begin, the user selects start button 403 andproceeds to user interface 501 illustrated in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, userinterface 501 is presently displaying information regarding Drivers tab503, through which the user can enter driver information. Otheravailable tabs, discussed further below, include a Vehicles tab 505,Background tab 507, and Pick a Plan tab 509. The user selects Add button511 to add a driver to the estimate, and Next button 513 to move to thenext tab. The user at any time can select or hover over the Assumptionscontrol 515 to learn what assumptions are being made during theestimation process, e.g., Driver Assumptions 1703, Vehicle Assumptions1705, and Personal (aka, Background) Assumptions 1707, through anassumptions user interface 1701, illustrated in FIG. 17.

With reference to FIG. 6, upon selecting Add button 511, web server 105displays selection list 603 for the user to select gender and maritalstatus of the driver to be added to the insurance quote. As used herein,when web server 106 is indicated as performing some function, thatfunction may be performed by web server 105 directly, or may beperformed by software downloaded from web server 105 to the user'scomputer 107 and executing on the user's computer 107, e.g., a javamodule, Flash or Shockwave program, etc. Upon selecting one of thegender/marital status options, the user is prompted to enter thedriver's age and driving history as illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 illustrates user interface 501 for the Driver tab 503, which nowindicates that one (1) driver has been added. User interface 501 alsodisplays an Age input control 703 and Driving History input control 705.Each input control may be any type of user input device, e.g., sliderbars, drop down lists, radio buttons, check boxes, text boxes, etc.Here, input controls 703, 705 are sliders, where each position on theslider corresponding to a valid input as defined by the value inputfilter corresponding to the rate factor for which input is sought. Inthe case of Age input control 703, the user can slide the slider ball704 until the desired age is displayed above the ball 704 (here, theselected age of 35 is displayed above the slider ball 704). Next, theuser selects the driving history 705 that best corresponds to thedriver. The allowable options, again defined by a value input filter,are 0, 1, and 2+, selectable via slider ball 706. On each screen,supplementary information corresponding to the active input control maydisplayed in information area 707. When the user is satisfied with theinput, as confirmed in sidebar 709, the user selects Next button 513.

In FIG. 8 user interface 501 now displays the Vehicles tab 505. TheVehicles tab 505 is the screen through which the user enters informationregarding each of the vehicles that is to be insured. The user canselect Add button 803 to add a vehicle to the estimate, or Next button805 when done entering vehicle information to move on to the next tab.Upon selecting Add button 803, user interface 501 displays vehicleinformation input controls 903, 905, 907, as illustrated in FIG. 9. InFIG. 9, user interface 501 displays Vehicle Year input control 903,Vehicle Make input control 905, and Vehicle Model input control 907.Each input control can be any variety of input control, including dropdown lists, radio boxes, text input boxes, constrained lists, etc., asare known in the art. In this illustrative embodiment, input controls903, 905, 907 are drop down lists from which a user can select validinput values as defined by the value input filters corresponding to eachof the Vehicle Year input control 903, Vehicle Make input control 905,and Vehicle Model input control 907. The user can confirm theinformation input via sidebar 911, which displays the input informationfor each vehicle entered as part of the quote process. User interface501 also updates Vehicles tab 505 to indicate the number of vehiclesthat have been added (here, one). Upon completion of entering alldesired vehicles, for example as illustrated in FIG. 10 where twovehicles have been entered by the user, the user selects Next button 805to proceed.

FIG. 11 illustrates user interface 501 displaying the Background tab507. The Background tab 507 is the screen through which the user entersbackground information regarding each of the drivers input via theDriver tab 503 (FIG. 7). Background tab 507 includes Residence inputcontrol 1103, Bill Payment History input control 1105, and InsuranceHistory input control 1107. Each input control can be any variety ofinput control, including drop down lists, sliders, radio boxes, textinput boxes, constrained lists, etc., as are known in the art. In thisillustrative embodiment, input controls 1103, 1105, 1107 are sliderswhich a user can manipulate into a position corresponding to the desiredinput value. The slider positions are constrained to valid input valuesas defined by the value input filters corresponding to each of theResidence input control 1103, Bill Payment History input control 1105,and Insurance History input control 1107. Additional informationregarding the active input control may be displayed in information area707. After entering the requested information, the user selects Nextbutton 1109, which sends the last of the required information to webserver 105 and rate server 103 for processing.

After rate server 103 has processed the information and compared theinformation to rate model 129 using any desired rate model, rate serversends rate information to web server 105 for presentation to the uservia output grid 1201 displayed in the Pick a Plan tab 509 of userinterface 501, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 12. The output grid 1201, inthis illustrative embodiment, displays estimated 6 month premiumscorresponding to the levels of insurance and add-ons shown in Table 2,above. When the user hovers over one of the grid entries with his or hermouse, additional information is displayed via popup interface 1301,illustrated in FIG. 13 with respect to the Enhanced Value Package and inFIG. 14 with respect to the Enhanced Plus Platinum Package. Also asillustrated in 1303, when the user hovers over a row, a drop down arrow1303 may be displayed corresponding to the packages in that row. Uponselection of drop down arrow 1303, detailed descriptive information 1502common to all packages within that row may be displayed, for example asillustrated in FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 illustrates informational screen 1601 which may be displayedwhen the user selects one of the provided estimates, here the GoldPackage with Enhanced Plus (i.e., the Gold Package column and EnhancedPlus row of the grid). The estimation process is now complete, and theuser can proceed to obtain a firm quote, e.g., from a local agent, viainput button 1603, print the estimate via input control 1605, or canceland return to the grid via input control 1607.

At any point during the above process the user can roll/hover overinformational icons, appearing in this illustrative embodiment asquestion marks in parentheses “(?)” displayed on the various userinterface screens, to obtain additional information regarding the itemnext to which the informational icon (?) appears. Also at any timeduring the process the user can reset all the information entered so farvia Reset input control 517 (FIG. 5), or cancel out of the entireprocess via Cancel input control 519 (FIG. 5).

FIG. 18 illustrates the method depicted in FIGS. 3-17. Initially, instep 1801, as illustrated in FIG. 3 the rate server obtains the desiredgeographic location of coverage, e.g., via a user interface provided tothe user via web server 105 and client computer 107 or 109. Next, instep 1803, the user inputs the gender and marital status for the firstdriver. The gender uses the value input filter [male, female], andmarital status uses the value input filter [single, married]. Accordingto some embodiments, gender and marital status may be providedsimultaneously. In step 1805 the user provides the age and drivinghistory for the first driver. Age is provided according to a value inputfilter of [16, 17, . . . , 54, 55±], and driving history uses the valueinput filter [0, 1, 2+]. Steps 1803 and 1805 are illustrated in FIGS.5-7. If there are additional drivers to be insured, the method returnsback to step 1803 to obtain driver information for each additionaldriver from the user.

In step 1807 the user provides the year, make, and model for eachvehicle to be insured. The vehicle year is preferably provided firstaccording to a value input filter similar to [1970, 1971, . . . ,<present year>]. The make is then selected from a value input filterthat includes all manufacturers that manufactured an insurable carduring the selected year. The model is selected from a value inputfilter that includes all insurable models manufactured by the selectedmanufacturer. Step 1807 is illustrated further in FIGS. 8-10.

In step 1809 the system obtains residence information from the user,indicating whether the user owns or rents (or neither) his or her home.The value input filter [own, rent, neither] may be used. In step 1811the user provides a self declaration of bill payment history based on avalue input filter similar to [Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor],and in step 1813 provides a self declaration of prior insurance history.The prior insurance history may be entered according to the value inputfilter [0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3+, 5+, 10+], where the selected value is inyears. Steps 1809-1813 are illustrated further in FIG. 11. Allowingusers to self-declare information helps to alleviate privacy concerns,because the user is not required to authorize the insurer to obtainpersonal information from alternative sources.

After the user completes the data entry portions of the process, therate server in step 1815 generates one or more insurance estimates basedon the received information, and displays the generated estimate(s) tothe user via a user interface, e.g., an interactive dynamic userinterface as illustrated in FIGS. 12-17. If the user desires to obtainanother estimate, the method may return to step 1801, otherwise theestimation process ends. The steps illustrated in FIG. 18 may bereordered, combined, or split, without affecting the usability of thedata. In addition, the data may be obtained via a user interface, or maybe manually entered by an employee of the insurer (e.g., a customerservice representative) based on verbal information given to theemployee by the user over the phone, via written information received onan estimate inquiry form, or via other communication media.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of providing an automobile insuranceestimate, comprising: receiving at an insurance rate computer, firstuser input identifying a geographic location in which the insuredvehicles reside, wherein the first user input does not comprise anypersonal identifying information; receiving at the insurance ratecomputer, second user input identifying marital status, gender, age, anddriving history for each of one or more drivers to be insured, whereinthe second user input does not comprise any personal identifyinginformation; receiving at the insurance rate computer, third user inputidentifying a vehicle make, vehicle model, and vehicle year for each ofone or more vehicles to be insured, wherein the third user input doesnot comprise a vehicle identification number (VIN) and does not compriseany personal identifying information; the insurance rate computerdetermining a plurality of estimated insurance premiums based on thereceived first through third user inputs; and providing the estimatedinsurance premiums for communication to the user.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein each of the plurality of estimated insurance premiums isbased on a different level of insurance coverage.
 3. The method of claim2, wherein the different levels of insurance coverage are selected basedon popularity.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof estimated insurance premiums is based on a different set of insuranceadd-ons.
 5. One or more tangible computer readable media storingcomputer readable instructions that, when executed, perform a method ofproviding an automobile insurance estimate, comprising: receiving firstuser input identifying a geographic location in which the insuredvehicles reside, wherein the first user input does not comprise anypersonal identifying information; receiving second user inputidentifying marital status, gender, age, and driving history for each ofone or more drivers to be insured, wherein the second user input doesnot comprise any personal identifying information; receiving third userinput identifying a vehicle make, vehicle model, and vehicle year foreach of one or more vehicles to be insured, wherein the third user inputdoes not comprise a vehicle identification number (VIN) and does notcomprise any personal identifying information; determining a pluralityof estimated insurance premiums based on the received first throughthird user inputs; and providing the estimated insurance premiums forcommunication to the user.
 6. The computer readable media of claim 5,wherein each of the plurality of estimated insurance premiums is basedon a different level of insurance coverage.
 7. The computer readablemedia of claim 6, wherein the different levels of insurance coverage areselected based on popularity.
 8. The computer readable media of claim 5,wherein each of the plurality of estimated insurance premiums is basedon a different set of insurance add-ons.
 9. A data processing system,comprising: a processor; memory storing insurance rate model data andcomputer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor,determine a plurality of automobile insurance estimates from the ratemodel data based on driver information, vehicle information, andbackground information received as user input received via a userinterface; memory storing computer readable instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the user interface to be displayed on a client computer,said user interface comprising: a driver information input module thatreceives the driver information from a user for one or more drivers,said driver information for each driver comprising gender, maritalstatus, age, and driving history; a vehicle information input modulethat receives the vehicle information from the user for one or morevehicles, said vehicle information for each vehicle comprising year,make and model; a background information input module that receives thebackground information for a prospective automobile insurance estimate,said background information comprising residence information, aself-declaration of bill payment history by the user, and automobileinsurance history; and an output module that displays the plurality ofautomobile insurance estimates based on increasing levels of insuranceassociated with each estimate, and based on increasing levels of add-onfeatures associated with each estimate.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein when the user hovers an input device over one of the pluralityof automobile insurance estimates the output module displays additionalinformation associated with the one of the plurality of automobileinsurance estimates in a pop-up window.
 11. The system of claim 9,wherein when the user selects one of the automobile insurance estimatesthe output module displays a summary screen comprising levels ofinsurance and add-on features associated with the selected one of theautomobile insurance estimates.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein theoutput module displays the plurality of automobile insurance estimateswithout receiving any personal identifying information about the user.13. The system of claim 9, wherein the driver information, for eachdriver, consists of gender, marital status, age, and driving history,wherein the vehicle information, for each vehicle, consists of year,make and model, and wherein the background information consists of theresidence information, the self-declaration of bill payment history bythe user, and the automobile insurance history.
 14. One or more tangiblecomputer readable media storing computer readable instructions that,when executed, cause a computer system to perform: receiving at aninsurance rate computer, first user input identifying geographicinformation, wherein the geographic information does not comprise anypersonal identifying information; receiving at the insurance ratecomputer, second user input identifying personal information for each ofone or more drivers to be insured, wherein the personal information doesnot comprise any personal identifying information; receiving at theinsurance rate computer, third user input identifying vehicleinformation for each of one or more vehicles to be insured, wherein thevehicle information does not comprise a vehicle identification number(VIN) and does not comprise any personal identifying information; anddetermining at the insurance rate computer a plurality of estimatedinsurance premiums based on the received geographic information,personal information, and vehicle information; and providing theestimated insurance premium for communication to the user.
 15. Thecomputer readable media of claim 14, wherein each of the estimatedinsurance premiums is based on a different level of insurance coverage.16. The computer readable media of claim 14, wherein each of theestimated insurance premiums is based on a different set of insuranceadd-ons.
 17. An insurance rate computer system, comprising: a processor;a network interface; and an insurance rate computer system memorystoring a rate model in a database and further storing computer readableinstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the insurancerate computer system to perform: receiving, via the network interface,first user input identifying geographic information, wherein thegeographic information does not comprise any personal identifyinginformation; receiving, via the network interface, second user inputidentifying personal information for each of one or more drivers to beinsured, wherein the personal information does not comprise any personalidentifying information; receiving, via the network interface, thirduser input identifying vehicle information for each of one or morevehicles to be insured, wherein the vehicle information does notcomprise a vehicle identification number (VIN) and does not comprise anypersonal identifying information; and determining a plurality ofestimated insurance premiums from the rate model based on the receivedgeographic information, personal information, and vehicle information;and providing the estimated insurance premiums for communication to theuser.
 18. The insurance rate computer system of claim 17, wherein eachof the estimated insurance premiums is based on a different level ofinsurance coverage.
 19. The insurance rate computer system of claim 17,wherein each of the estimated insurance premiums is based on a differentset of insurance add-ons.
 20. A method of providing an automobileinsurance estimate, comprising: receiving at an insurance rate computer,first user input identifying geographic information, wherein thegeographic information does not comprise any personal identifyinginformation; receiving at the insurance rate computer, second user inputidentifying personal information for each of one or more drivers to beinsured, wherein the personal information does not comprise any personalidentifying information; receiving at the insurance rate computer, thirduser input identifying vehicle information for each of one or morevehicles to be insured, wherein the vehicle information does notcomprise a vehicle identification number (VIN) and does not comprise anypersonal identifying information; the insurance rate computerdetermining a plurality of estimated insurance premiums based on thereceived geographic information, personal information, and vehicleinformation; and providing the estimated insurance premium forcommunication to the user.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein each ofthe estimated insurance premiums is based on a different level ofinsurance coverage.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein each of theestimated insurance premiums is based on a different set of insuranceadd-ons.